1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical devices of the type used to ventilate and aspirate the respiratory systems of patients.
2. Background of the Invention
In a preferred medical device of the type referred to above, as described for example in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/878,968 filed on May 6, 1992, the description of which is herein incorporated by reference, an aspirating catheter is enclosed within a flexible sleeve having tubular fittings at its opposite ends. The fittings are adapted to detachably secure the opposite ends of the sleeve respectively to a vacuum control valve and to a patient module connected to a tracheostomy device installed in the trachea of a patient. The sleeve ends are threaded through mounting collars which are then assembled in a linear interference fit on the fittings, thereby sandwiching the sleeve material therebetween. The mounting collars and tubular fittings have circular ribs which coact to resist axial disengagement.
This type of arrangement has several drawbacks, including a tendency of the mounting collars to rotate with respect to the tubular fittings on which they are mounted, and poor holding ability of the coacting circular ribs and grooves. These drawbacks can be minimized to some extent by solvent bonding or ultrasonic welding the mounting collars to the fittings, but these additional procedures contribute unfavorably to the overall cost of the resulting product.
A further disadvantage of the aforesaid arrangements is the need to thread each end of the sleeve through a mounting collar before axially inserting the sleeve ends and collars on the tubular fittings. This extra threading step is both time consuming and somewhat difficult to perform quickly, thus adding unnecessarily to assembly costs.
The objective of the present invention is to obviate the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art by providing an improved means for connecting the sleeve ends to the tubular fittings used to detachably connect the sleeve to the vacuum control valve and the patient module.